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Home Visiting Services Pilot

​The Maryland Department of Health (MDH) invited interested lead local government entities to apply for federal matching funds for the Home Visiting Services (HVS) Pilot through a service expansion initiative of the State of Maryland’s Medicaid §1115 HealthChoice waiver.

MDH requested applications for federal matching funds for evidence-based HVS for high-risk pregnant women and children up to age two. In November 2017, a Round One award was granted to Harford County serve 30 families. In April 2018, a Round Two award was granted to Garrett County to serve 13 families. The application and review process for the HVS Pilot is now closed.

The HVS Pilot program is aligned with two evidence-based models focused on the health of pregnant women:
  1. Nurse Family Partnership (NFP): The NFP model is designed to reinforce maternal behaviors that encourage a positive parent-child relationship and maternal, child and family accomplishments. The HealthChoice §1115 demonstration NFP pilot program will adhere to the NFP national program standards and service will be suspended once the child reaches two years old.
  2. Healthy Families America (HFA): The HFA model targets parents facing issues such as single parenthood, low income, childhood history of abuse, substance use disorder (SUD), mental health issues or domestic violence.
The HVS Pilot application must be completed by a lead local government entity (Lead Entity), such as a local health department or local management board, with the ability to fund fifty percent of HVS Pilot costs with local dollars through an intergovernmental transfer (IGT) process. Lead Entities are also required to provide leadership and coordinate with key community partners to deliver the HVS Pilot program. Each Lead Entity may also identify other entities that will participate and assist the Lead Entity in providing services in the ACIS Pilot (Participating Entities).The HVS Pilot is effective from July 1, 2017 through December 31, 2021 and is scheduled to be funded for the 4 ½ years duration of the waiver.

Up to $2.7 million in matching federal funds are available annually, and when combined with the local non-federal share, HVS Pilot expenditures may total up to $5.4 million annually. Applicants’ funding assumptions will be derived from a "per home visit services rate" that shall be developed and proposed by the Lead Entity. Pilot award payments shall support delivery of evidence-based HVS by licensed practitioners or certified home visitors to improve health outcomes and whole person care for high risk pregnant women and children up to two years old. Payments are for services not otherwise covered or directly reimbursed by Maryland Medicaid.

General details of the HVS Pilot’s parameters can be found in the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Special Terms and Conditions (STCs) for the HealthChoice Medicaid §1115 Demonstration (No. 28 and 29). Attachment D of the STCs provides additional information about the evidence-based HVS Pilot program.

Resources and Information

 HVS Pilot Application Process (Round 2)
 
Round 1 Archive
 

CMS Final Special Terms and Conditions

Stakeholder Questions:  Please direct comments, questions or suggestions regarding the Community Health Pilots to: ​mdh.healthchoicerenewal@maryland.gov.